Friday, July 14, 2017

Perilous Island: Final Flight

The story so far... Clues from Lady Darrow's dig point to an artifact at a warehouse in Istanbul. Engine trouble with the steamer forces the team to disembark in Morocco and they hope to catch a flight to Turkey. Unfortunately, with only one plane available, and other parties trying to get to Lady Darrow, it might be a close run thing.

ONe ofthe great things about Pulp alley is that it is a story game, and the players should focus on telling an exciting story. Terrain is key to any great skirmish game. As the scenario suggested, we placed the plane at the center of the table. Instead of rolling for the amount of terrain and alternately placing it, me and the other player went in a direction that was more visually and thematically appealing. We used as much pieces as we felt the setting demanded - and we placed it as it would

Some of the later Perilous Island scenarios have maps and more specific instructions for the layout of the board, which I generally prefer to a IGYG method of terrain placement.

An establishing shot of a small airstrip in Morocco, circa 1930. In the top left corner sits the ticket building and a control tower. A few small building are in the other corner, along with trees and fountains. A small crowd of civilians mills around the ticket booth, hoping for a trip out of the area (apparently rebels have been on the attack nearby). As this is a French controlled area, Foreign Legionnaires mill about. Anyone who shoots or brawls will have to contend with them.

Hawkins' team starts near the ticket booth, the first plot point they need. If they can get a ticket, they will be able to get Lady Darrow out of here and on to Istanbul.

Harry Hickman starts it off and unfortunately he bungles the attempt for the tickets, arousing the suspicion of the nearby Legionnaire. He is now wanted.

James mutters something about having to do everything himself and gets the tickets himself. Below, Hans and his ne'er do wells look to secure the package from the pile of baggage. If they can get this to the Mechanic, he might stop the plane for them.

Harry runs around the building in an attempt to elude the guard.

Above, Hans closes in on the package while James looks for Lady Darrow. He heard she was somewhere near the fountain.

Got it!

Above, James is on his way to Lady Darrow, but Hans' men block his path. Will there be a fight?

Hans and Benny are almost to the Mechanic.

With victory so close for wither group, fights erupt all across the airfield. Surely the Legion can't be everywhere at once?

Benny takes out Rory as Hans and the Mechanic head for the plane.

James and Lady Darrow try to avoid the general melee going on by the fountain, but it's too late. Hans and the Mechanic shut down the plane.

Because James Hawkins and his league bungled the mission, Hans and his crew will benefit from Lady Darrow next time. I was a great game, and the stakes will get even higher in the next mission. Both leagues have a decent amount of points to spend on gear and backup. Next stop: a warehouse in Istanbul.

A future post will be a closer look at the terrain that I have built for Perilous Island. The scenery and setting is one of the attraction of Pulp Alley, and I hope to really stretch my terrain making skills over the course of the campaign. I can't take credit for the game table, though. It was a great looking neoprene mat at Gigabytes cafe and something I am going to look at finding in the future.